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Elon Musk’s plans for Twitter are in sight, with the billionaire slashing 3,700 jobs by the end of this week and starting to sell blue checks for $8 a month next week.
Musk, 51, has pitched his idea for a blue check since buying the company, claiming it will end the current “lords and peasants” system on the social media platform.
The ‘badges’ could go live as early as Monday, Bloomberg reported, with current blue check holders being given a “grace period” of several months before being forced to pay or lose.
In addition, by the end of this week, Musk will plans to eliminate about 3,700 employees and end Twitter’s “work anywhere” policy in an effort to cut costs.
Musk had doubted the number of features he would eliminate during his bid to buy Twitter, originally saying as many as 75 percent of the company’s 7,500 employees before telling employees last week, with some reports suggesting that it would kill 25 percent. would be.
Elon Musk’s plans for Twitter are in sight, with the billionaire slated to cut 3,700 jobs by the end of this week and start selling blue checks for $8 a month starting next week.
Musk, 51, has pitched his idea for a blue check since buying the company, claiming it will end the current ‘lords and peasants’ system on the social media platform
Additionally, Musk plans to eliminate about 3,700 employees and end Twitter’s “work anywhere” policy by the end of this week in a bid to cut costs.
The 3,700 cuts would amount to about half of the workforce and should succeed five senior executives who resigned last week.
Musk originally suggested $20 a month for verification, but appeared to cut costs after an exchange earlier this week with horror writer Stephen King, where he offered him a discount.
The billionaire wants to fulfill his promise to make the social media platform a profit by introducing a fee for Twitter users who want to keep their verification badge.
But in a sign that the price may not be a foregone conclusion, Musk responded to a tweet from the author of The Shining complaining about the new indictment.
“20 bucks a month to keep my blue check? Damn they should pay me,” wrote King, who has 6.9 million followers. “If that’s implemented, I’ll be gone, as will Enron.”
But Musk, noting the author’s complaints, seemed in the mood to negotiate.
Author Stephen King, who wrote The Shining, said he will leave the platform if Musk introduces a blue-tick verification fee
‘We have to pay the bills somehow! Twitter cannot rely entirely on advertisers. How about $8?’ he replied.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether the discount would only apply to King or to the wider Twitter user base as well, but the comments suggested the $20 amount wasn’t exactly set in stone.
Musk went on to say he will “explain the rationale in a longer form” before the charges are carried out, but added that this is “the only way to beat the bots and trolls.”
When users said King could more than afford the fee, he replied, “It’s not the money, it’s the principle.”
The author, who previously said he “admires Elon Musk,” has not yet responded directly to the chief executive. But many of his fans rushed to comment in his place.
“44 billion to buy the place and his new revenue stream is to push a tin cup to Stephen King,” said one Twitter user.
“It’s nice of you to give Stephen King, who is worth $500 million, a discount of $12 a month,” said another.
“He’s not leaving. They’re all threatening, but they need this platform,” said a third user.
Actress, writer and comedian Kathy Burke also said she would not pay if a fee is introduced on the platform
King isn’t the only blue-tick Twitter user who threatens to give up his blue checks if a fee is introduced to the platform.
Actress, writer and comedian Kathy Burke also said she wouldn’t pay.
Musk can mess with his idea of charging blue tickers. I’m giving everything to this hell site for FREE. Brutal b**** should pay ME. Don’t need that poxy thing anyway.’
Celebrities who have threatened to boycott the site include TV screenwriter Shonda Rhimes, actor Mia Farrow, as well as Madam Secretary star Téa Leoni, She Hulk actor Jameela Jamil, as well as authors and activists Shaun King and Amy Siskind.
George Takei, who played Hikaru Sulu on Star Trek, also said he would consider going to the digital door.
Entrepreneur Jason Calacanis posted a poll Monday asking people whether they would pay $5, $10 or $15 a month, or nothing for verification. About 81 percent said they were unwilling to pay at the time of writing.
“Interesting,” Musk said in response to the poll.
Since the acquisition of Elon, the social media site has limited some content moderation tools.
Elon Musk is pictured talking to employees at Twitter headquarters. The CEO has reportedly issued an ultimatum to the platform’s engineers, telling them to renew the platform within two weeks
A blue tick badge allows other Twitter users to verify that other users are who they say they are. The feature has always been free since Twitter’s inception, but Musk promises to shake up the company’s operations
A blue tick badge allows other Twitter users to verify that other users are who they say they are.
The feature has always been free since Twitter’s inception, but ever since Musk first promised to buy Twitter, the world’s richest man has made it clear that he intended to shake things up at the social media giant.
The price covers unspecified features that have not yet been revealed.
The exchange comes after the new Twitter boss reportedly issued an ultimatum to the platform’s engineers, instructing them to renew Twitter’s verification system in less than a fortnight or he would be fired.
Employees were not informed about the project until October 30 and have until November 7 to deliver.